Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who lose money to online scams could soon turn to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel posted at Philippine embassies, under a plan the bureau presented to senators on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the proposed attaché offices would first open in countries with large Filipino workforces, with the Middle East, Europe, South America, and Asia identified as priority regions.
“We intend to put NBI liaisons, attaché offices, in other countries, sa mga embassies na we have a strong presence of our OFWs kasi napansin namin na tumataas ang cases ng cyber fraud na nagbibiktima ang OFWs natin,” Matibag said during the Senate hearing on the bureau’s proposed budget.
The push comes as cybercrime dominates the bureau’s workload. Matibag told lawmakers that eight in every 10 cases the NBI handles are cyber-related.
“It will be good if we have an NBI attaché representing para doon matulungan natin ang ating kababayan na OFW,” he said.
The offices are not yet operating because of limited funds, Matibag said. The NBI, an attached agency of the Department of Justice (DOJ), falls under the department’s proposed P46.435-billion budget for 2027, which accounts for about 0.64% of the P7.2-trillion national budget. Of that amount, P31.723 billion goes to Personnel Services, P11.340 billion to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, and P3.372 billion to Capital Outlay.
Setting up attaché offices abroad is among the reforms authorized under the National Bureau of Investigation Reorganization and Modernization Act, which seeks to improve the bureau’s services.
To prepare for the rollout, the NBI has formed a technical working group that will coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs.
